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So, I’m cheating. I really wasn’t planning on cooking just yet. You see, I spent a whole lot of the last few weeks of pregnancy honing in on cookbooks that focus on simpler, but uncompromised cooking (and I will absolutely do a post on these, soon), bookmarking the kind of recipes I could imagine assembling with one hand tied behind my back (or you know, holding a squawking newborn) and even banking a decent amount of recipes, such as that date spice loaf and the stuffed eggplant, and a few other things I have even told you about yet. And I don’t need to cook either: Our fridge is filled with homemade matzo ball soup, spaghetti and meatballs, endless bagel fixings, pickles galore, fruit, sandwich bread, lunch meats, milk for cereal and you name it (did I tell you our families were awesome or what?). Do you hear me? There is no reason on earth that I need to be pulling down the pots and pans right now. And yet I did. Because there was something — one tiny thing, perhaps — that I had not anticipated when I mapped these early weeks out in my head.

I am so freaking hungry.

Here’s the thing: When I was pregnant, I never had a huge appetite. I don’t know why, I just didn’t. Trying to figure out what to eat was an exacting process, to say the least. I’d eat perhaps half of whatever I had in front of me, and listlessly push the rest around the plate. I tried to woo my tastebuds with beef empanadas, migas and pasta but I have to confess: none of it did anything for me. It kinda blew.

So, to suddenly be consumed with the desire to eat, well, everything is like waking up from a 10-month slumber. I see squash and eggplants and cauliflower and onions and you name it at the markets and no, I cannot wait out some self-imposed no-cooking period, I must cook right now. And so I did. And I didn’t even ease myself back with one of those pared-down recipes; I made a crust and I caramelized onions and ended up with exactly the quiche I’d been craving.

I did have a little help, though, in the form of a swing (I call it Mother’s Little Helper, if you must know) that my sister bought Jacob which sits right outside the kitchen. He loves it. He snorgles into the lamb-eared pillow and stays napping and content for hours in there. Mama gets her hands free for a while, Jacob gets mezmerized by the flying lambs, and we all get quiche — everyone wins.

So, curiously enough, one of the few places I could reliably find something I wanted to eat during my 9-plus months of no appetite this year was a chain restaurant (Quelle horreur! Except it is not.), Le Pain Quotidien. I loved their barely sweet granola bars, their hefty miche and countless simple lunches like this. (I believe they had a cookbook at some point, but it is either AWOL or out of print or maybe I’m just making this up?) Nevertheless, I found this recipe online and was chomping at the bit to make it, stat. No seriously, like the minute I got home from the hospital.

What sets this apart from other versions of this quiche is the piles of caramelized leeks and the richer-than-rich sour and heavy cream custard, two things I implore you not to miss out on. I hadn’t made this tart crust before, but was very impressed by how easy it came together and how crisp it remained as a shell without requiring a par-baking. I will definitely use it again.

1. Heat a large sauté pan over low heat. Sauté the leeks and onions in the olive oil 30 to 40 minutes until caramelized, occasionally stirring. Remove from heat and cool.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch and one-fourth teaspoon salt. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender, fork or two knives until it is in very tiny bits. Add one egg (a fork works great for this) and mix it until a dough forms. (Dough can also be made in a food processor, or in theory, and as the original recipe suggests, in a stand mixer.)

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Place the dough in a 9-inch pie plate (I used an 8-inch deep tart pan, though ended up with extra filling) and press to remove any air bubbles. Crimp the edges, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. While the quiche shell chills, mix the heavy cream and sour cream in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining three eggs. Add a pinch each nutmeg, salt and pepper and combine to form a batter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

5. Remove the quiche shell from the refrigerator and spread the leek and onion mixture evenly over the base. Sprinkle the ham and then the cheese over the leeks and onions. Pour in the batter and place the quiche in the oven.

6. Bake until puffed and golden, about 25 to 30 minutes (a deeper pan, such as the one I used, will require extra baking time). Remove from the oven and cool slightly on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Just watch how quickly he outgrows that swing…my daughter had two :-))). I take my hat off to you for being able to do so much with a cesarean because I had one and I was rendered useless for weeks and months :-(

The baby swing brings back memories — I too, had an incurable urge to bake and cook after my baby was born. The swing was my savior. I think she spent hours in there some days….
Thanks for sharing all of the wonderful events of these magical days.

Dear Debbie! Thank you for entertainment and inspiration! My boyfriend and I just made the 44 cloves garlic soup, and I absolutely loved it, even tough we didnt have parmesan. WOW, what a soup!
Now I cant wait to try this quiche – I have great childhood memories from gathering in front of the TV to watch Inspector Scali or Detective Poirot in the early 90s, with a large, lovely quiche lorraine between the TV and the family.
And btw – your son is really beautiful!

OK, but Le Pain Quotidien is like the creme de la creme of chains. It’s the chain that feels like your favorite cafe. (All of them do, I’ve now been to something crazy like nine LPQ locations, including one in Bruges, Belgium, where it is called something like Het Dajglesbrood) And they have the BEST EGG SALAD SANDWICHES IN THE WHOLE WORLD. So good that they require all caps because they have salted capers. I’m so obsessed with their egg salad (and their Mediterranean platter) that I haven’t tried their quiche, but now I’m going to have to. Also, their hazelnut praline paste is the bomb and I posted a recipe a while back on making it at home (all about how I loved to go there with my brand new tiny baby sipping cafe au lait.

Deb, I am so impressed by your cooking with a newborn! It inspires me about my life after having our baby (which is due in February). I too don’t have much of an appetite and don’t have any crazy cravings. I was kind of looking forward to that! The quiche looks lovely and I think I’ll try it soon. Thanks, Kristina

Ahh, the Boppy swing!! I’m telling you, sister, that little gem gave me some semblance of a life in the early days. In fact, it allowed me to put together a carrot cake, deliriously baked at about one week post-partum.

I feel you on the need to cook as a way to center yourself. It is essential. One year into parenthood, and all I want is for my husband to take the kid somewhere for a three hour block on a weekend so I can bake and photograph in peace. That is my spa day.

Yes, yes, yes. I agree with the rest of em’ about the post, and the baby, and who the heck cares that you’re up and about; who’s going to stop you, the police? LOL :-) ha! I find a very compelling passion to cook when I am STARVING, so I am glad that is apparently shared by a very famous chef like yourself. :-) And don’t argue with me about the very famous chef part; you know it!!! But ditto with Karrey on thoes jallapeno scones; Karrey isn’t the only one stalking your flickr page. :-) Not like I will make them; I have a very timid aprehension when it comes to the word jallapeno (not the right spelling, I know), so maybe I will just sit at my computer and salavatate over them, instead. That works, too, right? :-)

Giddyup! This looks awesome. Perfectly fall like, and the leftovers make a delicious “mama lunch” with a little salad. Also, I can eat it with one hand, if need be, on the way to the school bus. That’s a serious plus.

You have a very sweet little bird there. Nuzzle him up good.

I don’t think any one of us would have survived without that swing. Well, at the very least, we would have bathed a whole lot less often.

What a beautiful baby!! Enjoy every minute. He will go to college before you turn around twice. I love your blog and consult if often but this is my first post. I will definitely try this quiche in the next few days. Thanks for all the fabulous recipes and wonderful pictures.

Quiche Lorraine is my absolute favorite kind of quiche, growing up in the U.K it was actually the only one I knew of because it’s so popular there.
This looks really lovely! Glad to see the baby is well and good :)

I love a good quiche. Alas, my husband is not a fan, so I usually have to wait until he goes out of town if I want to make one. This recipe came at a perfect time, because he’s going out of town next week!

just when i needed a good quiche recipe – here you are with one – of course! i have some leeks, zucchini and bacon that need to be addressed – but this will provide me with the best of all quiche outlines – thanks
(ps the little one is looking super adorable)

Sounds like our pregnancies have been rather similar. I went from cooking dinner from scratch every night to eating far too much cereal – there is just so little that I find even edible these days. I really hope I can return to the kitchen in January after this little girl makes her appearance – I miss both cooking and eating but you’ve given me hope!!

As usual, the recipe and photographs look delicious. But, the thing that has me going right at the moment is the swing you mention. My sister’s son is about 3 weeks older than your sweet-pea, and I think she would love that. I am going to go check it out. Thank you for mentioning it. I wondered how you were able to work hands-free.
All the best,
Michaela

I have been craving this EXACT thing for weeks now!!! We just moved to New York and I haven’t gotten to cook much for a lot of reasons- getting our feet on the ground and the abundance of take out– but I MUST make this! Thanks for the recipe!

There really is nothing like that post-pregnancy hunger! I used to have to eat two pieces of peanut butter toast while I waited for the water to boil for my oatmeal! Also, I am getting that SWING for my next baby! Why didn’t I have one of those the first time around?!
Congrats and it’s great to have you cooking again!

I have been lovingly and obsessively following your blog for about two years now. I have drooled over countless food photographs, and made several of your recipes (successful every time), but I have never commented. And I have to do it now, because that baby…that baby is the most adorable child I have ever seen. I have audibly cooed every time I’ve seen a new picture of him. Congratulations, on being a damn fine cook and having the most beautiful baby in the world :)

The quiche looks super yummy, I`ll certainly be making it soon.And I can`t say a leek intervention would do you any good at all. I made the leek and swiss chard tart the other day, it was fantastic. Leeks are every where this time of year, SOMEONE has to use them. Also…
Your baby is the most beautiful little guy in the whole world! I`ve been trying not to gush, but I can`t help it. Congratulations to you and Alex! He is so lovely!

The quiche looked good and then I scrolled down and saw that precious baby! He is a doll, congrats. And thanks for this recipe, my boyfriend is coming home for two weeks for knee surgery and I want to have an arsenal of things to feed him while he is laid up.

Hi Deb, Jacob is absolutely scrumptious – congratulations. I love your site. I have tried many of your recipes including your pumpkin muffins and they were a huge success. My picky five year old loved them. I have given you the ‘One Lovely Blog Award’. Happy cooking!

I guess I had an unusual pregnancy, back in the day. Nothing really changed in my appetite during and after. Well..except that it got harder to close in on what I was doing with that beach ball of belly I was lugging around! Once delivered, that swing was the most important cooking tool in my kitchen. I don’t think we would have had dinner without it. I gave little one cooking lessons from it..he (then she) was my kitchen studio audience! Fun times!

I love quiche..and so does my very dearest Rick. Thanks for this, it sounds amazing with all those caramelized leeks and onions!

OKAY, Deb and Ruhlman Ruhlman
have now convinced me to make room for yet another pan (a deep pan for quiche) in my overstuffed cabinets.
I bet this quiche would be great with some sharp cheddar, too. This Irish cheddar marbled with stout immediately sprang to mind.

And cheers to you – my babe wouldn’t let me put him down for the first 2 months STRAIGHT, even to nap. My sling was a life-saver, but I sure as heck wasn’t cooking during that time…I think it took 10 months to even remotely like the kitchen again.

There is “The One-Armed Cook” cookbook out there for parents with one arm free to cook while tending to a baby, but I’ve heard it’s fairly “meh” in regards to the level of taste and cultural recipes we who frequent smitten expect. I eagerly await for your one-armed recipes, Deb, as a wrangle my 2 year-old and hope to have another in the next year or so. You do not disappoint! :)

I have to tell you, people think I’m crazy when I either say “I’m not hungry” or “I don’t know what I want to eat.” I expected to be crazy hungry and want everything when I got pregnant.. I was looking forward to all of the fun things I would cook/bake. I haven’t made a decent meal since May. Thanks for giving me hope that one day I’ll want to eat again…. and that my kid will turn out half as cute as yours! Look at all that hair!!!

I ate SO much more nursing than I did pregnant. It was insane. Of course, when I asked my doctor, she was all “Well, breastfeeding burns more calories than pregnancy” like I should have known that already. The hardest thing about weaning was returning to human-sized food portions, and five meals a day instead of ten. Yes, I said ten. meals. a. day. Hey, 12 hours a day spent nursing twins? There wasn’t much I could do other than eat!

I was oooing and ahhhing at pictures of the quiche while dreaming of different ways I could make it…until I reached the picture of Jacob. I’m a huge baby fan and I can confidently say that he is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. That picture made me forget about the quiche all together!

A very lovely, yummy looking baby! A gorgeous, VERY ALERT child. Congrats, again! That quiche looks pretty nice, too. I remember being hungry (years and years ago) when pregnant, but I never had cravings in pregnancy, only aversions. I could not bear the smell or sight of seafood of any kind. Once I was driven from a supermarket by the overpowering smell of the deli meats and cheeses. After I had my baby, I was fine again. You put me to shame I could barely manage my sons, esp. #1. Jacob is such a love bug!

Liberty London — Just a lucky recipe, I think. There’s no water, only egg adding moisture, which I believe lends it to being less soggy. The filling is super-thick, too (sour cream + heavy cream = a very thick cream) and not very wet, which probably also helped.

Beth — Ha, I forgot to mention that I love eggs but couldn’t stand the smell of them when pregnant. Now? I would go back to eating them three meals a day!

Yummy! I absolutely love quiche and think I could eat it everyday! I will def. try this out. It will unfortunately have to wait though till some company comes over. (Hubby is very picky and won’t even try quiche!) God know I could eat the WHOLE thing and my post baby body does not need that! I also have the same exact swing and my baby adored it! He could seriously sit in it for hours and nap nap nap! Now, at almost 9 months, he is very mobile and will only tolerate it for a couple of minutes. Oh how I miss the swinging! Congrats on Jacob. He truly is a gorgeous baby!

I can’t believe how freakin’ cute he is! Makes me want another one. :) He has so much hair too! My son is 15 months and still doesn’t have that much hair! I too had a much larger appetite while breast-feeding (don’t know if that is what you are doing) then when I was pregnant.. it never seems like anything is enough to fill. :) So, glad that mommy and baby are doing well. The quiche looks delicious!

Hahaha! I know EXACTLY what you mean. I’m going through it again right now. I’m throwing myself a feast once this baby is here and I actually feel like eating again. Jacob looks perfectly happy and content to listen to Mama cook too, so why not!

Deb, this looks gorgeous (and delicious). Although I am nowhere near having kids, I imagine that, like you, when I do have a baby of my own I will be back in the kitchen ASAP. For some reason, I like the idea of my kids’ earliest memories of me being of me cooking. I am impressed that you manage to take pictures of the food at all with such a cute baby sitting there. I can’t wait to try this recipe out, quiche is one of my favorite foods.

You are lucky, lucky, LUCKY that Jacob likes the swing. Our oldest tolerated it, but seemed to adapt and need it to go faster and faster, so that by the time we gave up on using it we always had it on the High setting. My second hated-HATED-the swing, so we never even bothered to set it up for the third, and I just wore him in a sling all the time.

Ha! My fiancé works at that restaurant, and I occasionally get free bread out of the deal. Glad your little boy is sleeping through the cooking processes, at least until he’s big enough for you to put him to work with some cookie cutters or spreading jam.

I love quiche, and for some reason have never made the “lorraine” version…but yours looks delicious and inspiring! I’m glad you’ve got that swing enabling you to keep your hands busy with your “other” love!

I am not a fan of quiche, but I drool over photos of your little man! Our baby is due in about 4 weeks, and every time you post a picture of Jacob I get even more excited to hold my very own little one.

Oh that picture of Jacob, how sweet he is! Can you believe how divine their necks are??? The quiche looks delicious too. It’s amazing how hungry you are after you have a baby, lucky for you it’s almost the holidays!

We called the baby-swing the “Neglectomatic”! Really, a genius invention if there ever was one. They should give Nobel prizes to inventors that make such devices that transform lives. You must be thirsty as well as hungry. I never sat down without a glass of water. Oh, the memories. When I’m back to cooking after this lousy recovery is over, I can’t wait to try this tart shell and quiche recipe!

Deb, I’m really enjoying your blog post-baby. It’s still definitely about food of course, but you also seem to be aware of how, um, nosy your readers are about the little dude. Or maybe you just want to show him off, and who wouldn’t? He’s adorable.

We must be womb buddies! I too have had zero appetite this pregnancy, struggling to gain even a few pounds. My babe is due the end of the month and I’m looking forward to using this exact same swing, hoping my little one will enjoy it as much as yours apears to, what a sweet face! Looking forward to having an appetite and feeling up to cooking once again.
Congratulations on your little one!

Bwahahaha! I know. I’m the same way…nursing mama = hungry mama. But if you’re anything like me and my baby, DON’T EAT CAULIFLOWER (if you’re nursing) or any cruciferous vegetables for that matter. When I eat them, she hates my milk and it is no fun for anyone. Ok, end of unsolicited advice.

Yes! I hope baby Jacob makes an appearance with every new post!! He is quite possibly the most adorable newborn I’ve ever seen!! Swings are miracle inventions! My kids had nights when that was the only thing that would get them to sleep.
Must try that quiche! It looks divine!!

I love the tartines and quiches at Le Pain Quotidien.
I like the one in the W. Village…….I swear I was making a quiche Lorraine this week, a bit different from yours……I will put the leeks in, I have never done that before!

The quiche looks great, and that sweet baby looks even better :) Breastfeeding gave hunger a new meaning for me in a way that pregnancy never did! And I agree, the swing is a lifesaver, worth its weight in gold.

Deb, you have given me the best idea ever- to make quiche with my new square tart pan. I only had a circular tart pan until the other day. I know, it’s kind of sad, especially since I love baking whenever I can, but now I do have it and I have been wondering what to make… Now, I have quiche on my list. And a few other goodies.

Oh, I can’t wait to make this…

Thanks for sharing the recipe. I found it online a while ago, but never thought of making it, but I’ll take your word for it and try it out.

Now that’s what I am talking about. I can’t wait. I have compiled various recipes like this for when I have kids… a couple years away…

Email me if you want some I have tried. My guess is your abundance of cookbooks will not provide as many as you think. I ended up buying another set of cookbooks for these recipes. My two stipulations have been short prep time and awesome eats. I do have a quota of healthy that I am trying to fill but really, if my grandma ate it, I’ll eat it too.

I am so happy for you that were able to cook something delicious! I remember those days of wanting to eat anything that wasn’t tied down. I actually got sick of eating so much after a while. I ate and ate and ate and LOST weight–lots of it. (Yes, I know I was one of the lucky ones!) And then my daughter weaned. And some habits are hard to break, as evidenced by my fall coat that doesn’t fit around my butt anymore.

I’m delighted that you are sharing baby pics with each post. :) Keep them coming! Who knew great food photography skills would transfer over to babies so well?

I’m looking forward to getting my appetite back after our little one is born. I’m even trying to plan for it. But how do I plan for a scrumptious home made meal with my appetite back in full swing when it’s currently not in full swing? It’s not working so well for me.

I just wanted to say thanks for posting so soon after having a baby. Your recipes are always superb and whenever I see a new post on your site it makes my day!!!
As for the quiche lorriane its a favorite of mine and I can’t wait to try this version.

You are so lucky–none of my 3 liked the swing until they were a bit older. . .but I used a sling much of the time, so I think they were ‘spoiled’!as was I. . .nothing better than being able to accomplish things while actually snuggling with your babe ;)
However, the one thing I couldn’t do with those kids in the sling was cook–imagine obvious safety issues here. . .
So, I was so so glad when they would sit in the swing for a bit so I could get back to real cooking and not the “what can I get done while my baby naps for 20 min?” type of cooking. . .

I am soooo making this this coming Sunday after my trip to the farmers’ market to get more leeks. .

My inner fat self has always looked forward to getting pregnant so I have a excuse to eat nachos everyday. Sick I know. When reading how you LOST your appetite when you were pregnancy just saddens me. How else will I ever survive pregnancy without an abundance of foods?

In the few years I’ve been a cook I have seen quiche lorraine recipes like crazy. The name is the only thing they have all had in common. In Mastering the Art of French Cooking it states that, traditionally, a ‘lorraine’ contains bacon or ham only. Adding onions makes it a quiche ‘alsacienne’. Adding gruyere simply makes it a quiche ‘gruyere’ or ‘vosgienne’. Why go with the traditional name? Now that this is written I realize the question isn’t aimed at you but at Le Pain Quotidien.

I recently made a variation of your leek and mushroom quiche, added bacon to the mix and seasoned the crust with a generous amount of black pepper. Needless to say, it was perfection.

I’ve never posted before but I’ve been an avid reader for years now. I just had to say how much I love love love your blog and that you are an inspiration! Your Jacob is amazingly cute and I can only hope to have as much energy and zest for cooking when my mothering time comes along.

This is the perfect answer to the question that I’ve had all week: what else can I do with all the beautiful leeks that are in season right now? I’ve made soup… and that was about all.

I love how you always use in-season produce. I’m going to try this on the weekend. PS – your blog is the most inspiring thing that I’ve read in years. I’ve been in the kitchen every night since my discovery of it a few weeks ago.

My first baby ate – er, drank – like a fiend for the first couple months. Because I was breast-feeding, I was STARVING. All. The. Time. It got to the point that I would keep graham cracker and peanut butter “sandwiches” next to my bed so that when baby inevitably awoke at 3:00 a.m. to nurse, I could have a snack without getting out of bed. The upside? One happy, healthy, adorably chubby baby. Plus, the pregnancy pounds melted away, despite the fact that I was eating nonstop. Of course, when he stopped nursing at around a year, I immediately gained 10 pounds. But we won’t talk about that. :)

As many others have already stated, nursing made me so darn hungry. I was eating every hour and a half to two hours because she was, too. It’s normal. And wonderful – because you can eat like a ravening wolf and still lose the baby weight :)

That quiche looks amaaaazing! I am such a sucker for a good quiche. I’m glad to hear your appetite is back!! Time to enjoy time with Jacob and time in the kitchen! Oh, and Jacob is absolutely adorable. So much hair!!

If you’re nursing your precious new cream puff, that would explain the appetite. It takes a lot of calories to run an all-you-can-eat baby buffet :) And if so, you’ll be amazed at how quickly nursing a baby takes the pregnancy weight right off of you. BTW, the quiche looks great!

Yummm! My husband loves quiche so I’ll have to give this one a try this week now that my oven is fixed. Do you think that swing would work on my two year old or my 11 month old? One is always grabbing the spoon while the other grabs my ankles :)

I don’t know which picture was the most delicious…..the quiche or the baby. mmmmm
Reminds me of my grandsons. I called them “deliciously naughty boys”. And they still are, even at the ages of 15 and 11.

I was always hungry while nursing. Not so much during pregnancy, but I gained about 45 to 50 lbs each of the three times I was pregnant. Go figure.

Your Jacob is precious. I know you know that. I just needed to tell you that. Jacob is my first son’s name. It wasn’t popular when I named him that. The next two years saw his name creep to number one on the most popular boy name charts.
I didn’t/don’t care. Still love that name with all my heart. My youngest is Ethan and it’s popular now, too.

I was the same way with the pregnancy vs. breastfeeding hunger. I remember my first night home with Olivia, I woke Ryan up and said “Can you make me a sandwich? And then a crumpet with Nutella?”. Mind you, I’d had dinner not five hours before. STARVING! Still am!

Fabulous, we just had some organic produce delivered and leeks were in there. I wasn’t sure what to do with them, as it’s not soup weather here anymore (soup is my what-do-I-do-with-these-leeks? fallback), plus I had some cream and sour cream left over from baking your Chocolate and Guinness cake recipe for my husband’s birthday, and now I know what I’m gonna do with them.

My roommate now thinks I’m insane for “aww”ing out loud at a quiche recipe. Thanks.

Seriously, the quiche looks delicious, and I look forward to attempting it in my tiny galley kitchen. But more importantly, Jacob is one terrifyingly cute baby. He’s got the most perfect little profile! *Gushes*

Enjoy the swing while you can, my seven-month old tried to climb out of hers this week (whilst I was cooking) and I found her doubled-over, half hanging out of the thing. Ahhh! It has been relegated to the pile of things to give back to the owner. Swing, what will I do without you? Loving the photos of Jacob, what a little cutie.

After discovering your site & immediately spending every waking moment reading hundreds of hilarious and lovely entries on your site, I realized it was time to post & tell you what a) what a wonderful cook you are, and b) just how amazingly cute your son is. I’m living on an extreme budget in Bangkok with a single kitchen implement – a kettle – so I’m living vicariously through your lovely cooking & can’t wait to make EVERYTHING when I get back to Canada. Thank you so much!

Love your site, recipes and babe. Once when my husband was away, I left my daughter in a swing overnight so I could sleep (God bless Duracell batteries) Today she is 24 and no damage done. Question. In the eggplanr recipe did you add the chopped up eggplant to the meat mixture?? I did minus the rice and made patties in a skillet with the left overs (also substituted ground dark turkey) Rave reviews.
PS, be careful not to gain too much wait NOW!!
Dennie, Nes Ziona, Israel

I’m always surprised when foreigners know Le Pain Quotidien, I didn’t know they were big outside Belgium too. I love them to bits, will definitely make your adaptation. As far as I know they haven’t published a book.

Hi Deb, just wanted to ask if you could suggest substitutes for the ham… or could I just leave it out? Also, though 177 comments above have already said so: Jacob is beautiful, I’m so happy for you! Mazal tov from Israel!

You are a freakin trip! The baby is just too cute for words! And yes, I hear ya…the swing was a life saver for me as well. I got a lot done when my baby girl was in that swing. She used to look up and be smiling at the walls and stuff. I always said it was the angels and my mom looking down upon her and talking to her. I miss those days. Never thought I’d say it, but I do. Enjoy your days with that beautiful Jacob. I’ll try the quiche recipe over the weekend, cause I know it’s gonna be good!

Your baby is just beautiful, and your photos are great – I can almost smell the wonderful baby scent. I have six sons and try not to smell the older ones, no heavenly baby scent from a fifteen year old boy. Love your recipes, seems I keep coming here for some inspiration, thank you!

Been making this quiche for years- the one in the old Gourmet Cookbook. It’s a classic and I wouldn’t change a thing. But if I ever felt so inclined, it’s your recipe I would try.
That adorable baby is waaaay older than he looks. Are you having great fun just looking at this miracle? I always did.

This looks delicious. Must try.
I cannot get over how much hair the boy has! Also, we have the same swing. Our daughter is 3, our son is 5 months, and there is no way the household would function (well, I’m not sure I’d call it functioning) without it. That swing, it is a God-sent.

I’m preggers and have a 13 mo old, so I’m also honing in on the art of simplified, but uncompromised cooking (Yes! That phrase describes it exactly!). As an avid cook, it’s a big change to cook post-child. I’m anxiously awaiting your post on simple recipes/ideas/cookbooks.

Looks delicious!
I know what you mean… I had my 1st at the end of August and was never really that hungry throughout my pregnancy. But once she was here? I was STARVING! Our families loaded us up with food (and 6 weeks later we are still working our way through the stocked freezer), but baby girl and I still make almost daily walks to the grocery store to pick up whatever I have cravings for. No cravings during pregnancy, but now… yes! Congrats on your beautiful son. :)

I am about to have my first in a couple of weeks and I was so wanting to have cravings but never did. I am terrible about picking out food and so now everyone thinks that I should be the one to ask and I have no clue. So be starving will be an interesting thing.

I can so relate to your predicament!!! With my first pregnancy, I just didn’t have the gumption to eat a lot (and some of that, I’m sure, was due to my boy being 9 lbs 11 ozs at birth). When we got home from the hospital, I sent my hubby out to our favorite BBQ place to get me one of those gigantic baked potatoes with everything (meat and all) on it. The only thing left was the tin foil they baked the potato in. :LOL It wasn’t as bad with my little girl, but I was still hungry after birth.

Le Pain Quotidien does have a cookbook–I’m an au pair in France, near Paris, and my host mom has it in her cookbook collection. So it does exist! However, it’s in French, so I can’t make out the recipes very well–a deterrent from baking them, but not from leafing through the gorgeous photos.

p.s. Jacob is sooo cute! I love his intent yet peaceful expression in the photo.

Jacob is too precious – he looks like he’s smelling something wonderful in that picture. Like, “Oh, mom! Quiche! My favorite!” And I don’t blame you – it’s difficult to see all the beautiful squash and pumpkins in the market right now and not be inspired to cook.

Ahh I’m horrible at making crusts but your recipes look so good I keep trying anyway. One of these days I’ll get it, right? My mom said the swing was a life saver and later the Johnny Jump-up thing kept me occupied for hours. It’s pretty common to be more hungry after having the baby, especially if you’re nursing because you need more calories.

So pretty! The food and the baby! Aren’t those swings the best, but now my toddler takes mommy’s cooking time as his opportunity to plunder in whatever he can sneak into and makes a huge mess. Yesterday it was full coverage base makeup all over him.

1) Jacob is seriously one of the cutest babies I’ve ever seen. Honestly. If I didn’t think so, I wouldn’t comment, but I AM UTTERLY COMPELLED TO DO SO. You guys done good.

2) You’re breastfeeding, right? When we first brought our son home, and he spent more of the day nursing than not, there was not enough food ON THE PLANET to keep me satisfied. I was hungry all the time. On the rough side, it was a really uncomfortable feeling to feel so uncontrollably ravenous all the time. On the plus side, the baby weight flew off within days.

3) Must. Make. Quiche. Now. I don’t eat pork – do you have a suggestion for a good substitute for the ham?

The quiche looks amazing. And the baby looks like a precious little angel. Do you find yourself just staring at him? He is so, so cute!!!!! Love that you’re cooking again. ‘Cuz I really love reading your blog everyday.

1) this recipe is spot-on for nursing moms! still nursing my 9 month old and i have been making a vegetarian version of this at least once a month for the past 8 months (still not on the meat-train – holdover from pregnancy);
2) keep your adorable little man STRAPPED in to the swing! a few months ago we found our little sous chef on the floor under the swing smling up at us with a little “quiche” eating grin. little stinker. of course, it hasn’t deterred us from using it. baby girl is in it as we speak…..

So you know how everytime someone has a baby, you’re all like “oooh he’s so cute!” even he is so totally is not? That’s not what I’m doing here. I cannot get over how abundantly adorable your little muffin head is.

Ah, the joys of beautiful food and babies. A double winner! I love quiches and so do the family, we just can’t have them every week, every 3 months well that’s alright then. And it seems like when I make a quiche there’s a strong weather front coming in. Hmmmmm, I wonder why is that?

I remember the ravenous hunger. I’m glad you’re getting back in the kitchen. The sooner, the better, in my opinion. Juggling is easier the smaller they are. Once they become mobile and want to see every. single. thing. you are doing…that is a completely different ball of wax.

On the photos of said quiche, there’s a reason you were nominated for best photography. It makes me want to make the quiche, despite having lackluster results at my own attempts. I am, however, overly critical of my food. I’ll just have to try yours instead.

quiche, yummy
baby boy, yummier. I’m a grammy, so I am fully qualified to say,
“That is one of the sweetest babies I have ever seen. What a precious
little thing. AND he already looks like a boy – no generic angel face for him –
100% all boy angel face from the beginning!”
Enjoy!

A crust with no par-baking! You really are a my hero. I’ll make it tonight.

And your baby is indeed beautiful. I will warn you that photography and cooking get trickier when they hit the toddler years. But something tells me nothing will stand in the way of your cooking and photographing fabulous food, not even tripod-grabbing munchkins.

You have one sweet little one…don’t mistake him for the quiche and eat him all up!! But really, what stuck out to me besides those fab pics: You have a Gas Stove!! Every cook needs a gas stove…eyez a jealous!

LauraD — The pillow is part of the swing. The blanket is from Target, goes with his crib bedding (or so I hear, as we have yet to receive the crib we ordered in July, groan). I link to the tart pan I used in the recipe.

He’s so beautiful.
He’s just so stinking beautiful.
That is one beautiful, beautiful boy.
He kinda makes my ovaries hurt a little, but still, I’m not having another. I’ll just be stuck admiring such beauty from afar.

You have a seriously cute baby – he is gorgeous! And you are SOOO lucky, I have 2 kids and I NEVER had my hands free for more than maybe 30 minutes at a time when they were infants. They didn’t like the swing, the bouncy, the bassinet…nothing but mommy’s arms (and believe me, I tried!) I couldn’t even make myself a sandwich, let alone a quiche! Good for you – enjoy your sweet little guy!

I had crazy cravings for Thai food during my first pregnancy. By the time I had my c-section (30 lbs. later), I swear that my husband had phad thai coming out of his ears. I could eat just about anything then: seriously spicy salsa, chili con queso, curry. . .but the smell of eggs cooking (especially scrambled eggs) made my stomach turn. Funny though, my appetite wasn’t that great during that pregnancy–my OB was worried that I wasn’t gaining enough weight. My second pregnancy is a whole different story.

I heard about Gourmet magazine. So sad :( It really is one of my favorite magazines. Now they will be sending out Bon Appetit (eewww) to subscribers.

I just need to leave you this comment:
Aside from the quiche, which of course looks very yum and will definitely be replicated in my kitchen, I just have to say:
Your boy is sooooo beautiful!! I just can’t get enough of him!! I have to be really honest here and I’m not exaggerating when I say this is only the second time that I am blown away by the look of a baby!! Usually I think they look odd… ;) So just congrats!!! And keep up the awesome work of this much visited blog of yours!! n.

So, I really dislike chains too. On our last day in NY, we wen to Le Pain Q. and had some great quiche and wonderful croissants. Took a bag load of sweets with us too. yummy. I agree with you. This quiche… I want some- now. oh and the baby- the most recent pic is simply angelic .

I made this yesterday instead of waiting for the weekend. Will still have to make it again as hubby loved it. Though he did ask to add additional stuff to it…men. The batter really made it. And the crust was easy and stayed crispy.

Sorry about my slightly crazed post up there – I had just heard about Gourmet and I was a bit shell-shocked. Sorry to interrupt the baby-adoration. But I completely agree with other commenters that little Jacob is totally adorable, and I love his bright eyes and cute snuggly cheeks. Also, the quiche looks luscious, and I love the photo of the leeks. As for Jacob “snorgling”…that is such a perfect word.

I TOTALLY know what you mean about being hungry AFTER the baby is born…I found myself starving for at least the first four months (even though I lost all my baby weight rather quickly :) after never really being super hungry all while being pregnant. Took me by surprise! This looks delicious and I think I just may have everything in my fridge to make it this week! Keep cooking :)

Finally, someone admits that you don’t have to be starving all the time or have weird cravings during pregnancy. I get the most disappointed looks when people ask me about my appetite and I tell them it’s no different than before I had a being growing inside me. I’ve started making things up! My husband is getting frustrated at making meals for me then I eat just half of them just to give up and make myself a bagel or a fried egg. Now I know I’ll have this great quiche to look forward to come February. Thank you!
Jacob is the cutest cinnamon roll ever! Love your food. I’m making your squash and zucchini torte this weekend for our big football gameday. It’s one of my very favorites, I just hope it doesn’t take on that blandness everything else has.

First of that baby boy is SOOOOOO cute.
I made this tonight it was so good. You were right as always. This was
one of the best quiche I’v made. Loved it and also my husband loved it and he does not do quiche.

I just had to write and say how much I LOVE your website – found it while searching for the perfect cake – which I found here! Your baby is beautiful – exquisite actually – and I have 2 of my own which I happen to think are pretty amazing so that’s saying a lot!! lol:o) Can’t wait to try this quiche – everything else from this site has been amazing…

My roommate is going to walk in on me COOING at a PICTURE of a baby. I actually find myself talking to my computer in baby talk. Either Jacob is an illegal level of cute, or I need to procreate. To sum up: your little boy is a handsome fella!

And, I’m thinking about making this for brunch this weekend. And I just made your honeycake (again) and it was AMAZING (again). I put the batter into this cute pan I picked up that is in the shape of pumpkins, which was irresistibly darling, and I put some coloring into your brown sugar cream cheese frosting to make them uber cute and way to delicious. :)

His Royal Cuteness just kills me – seriously, that is one adorable sprog you have!! (you should keep him … just sayin). And your pics really do inspire me to shoot more of my baking adventures … (gotta love a macro lense!)

OMG!! I did not know what Le Pain Quotidien was, googled it (and drooled over their menu), and am officially jealous – there aren’t any in the SF Bay Area – wah. A “chain” with tartines – I wonder if Panera would ever consider adding them to their menu… btw: congrats and love your postings! Your pictures are some of the best food porn I’ve ever come across.

I used to love quiche lorraine and I might have to love it again – thanks for posting this recipe. I’ve been sitting here chuckling over the comments – the only craving I had when I was pregnant was Cinnabon cinnamon buns – I had to pass a stand on the way to my OB’s office! Otherwise – not so much. After our boy was born, I must have made a hummungous casserole of baked beans every week and ate them morning, noon and night (sooooo hungry!) until I had to quit because the baby was getting too gassy!! My other fav was sauted cabbage, onion and bacon served with rice!!

Starving is totally normal, as is getting back in the kitchen to do something about it (at least it was for me). At about this point, I was puttering around the kitchen making vats of chili and the occasional roasted chicken. The quiche looks great.

Make sure that when you start feeding that cutie Jacob solid foods that you season them with spices from the get-go. My son so far (20 months) has never gone through that white food phase, and will eat all kinds of spicy, and also his vegetables. Just tonight he sat down to eat a stir fry that I’d made to doctor up leftover fried rice, and he picked out all the bok choy and chard to eat that first. He still makes a “yuk” face at Cheerios. I’m so proud.

Oh, I remember my love affair with the baby swing… I would have gone crazy without it! Great that you are able to do so much with a new baby… great for us! Quiche looks amazing. Will try it soon. Baby looks amazing too. Enjoy him!

Deb, Jacob is SO beautiful, and I just love this latest picture of him. I haven’t had a chance to congratulate you yet (my computer locked when I tried to add mine to the thousand+ who had written ahead of me, ha ha!), so this is my first chance to add my good wishes and tell you again(!) how just absolutely beautiful and almost angelic your little boy looks. I’d also like to recommend a book I found immeasurably helpful after the birth of my first grandchild (the love of my life). It’s called The Happiest Baby on the Block! I learned so much from it, and I had already been a mommy for 23 years! Hope you like it. (Sorry I can’t remember the author but I’m sure you won’t have any trouble finding it).
Congrats again and thank you for all the wonderful recipes! I’ll write again once I’ve actually tried this one. :)

I just recently started eating eggs (only scrambled, only in a “breakfast skillet” that includes veggies, potatoes, and meat of some type), and would never eat this, but I had to let you know how ADORABLE your son is!!! Love that hair. He is just a doll. Congrats to both of you :)

your baby is adorable! I’m selfish, so it made my day that you’ve kept up on the blogging even after your super cute baby was born haha =). I made your chicken and dumplings yesterday for some friends, and it was a hit! Making your rice pudding right now. every recipe is amazing, and i cannot wait to try this quiche!

For some weird reason I used to revolt when my mom made quiche when I was a kid; I thought it was the worst idea for food ever. Now, however, my mom loves to point out how much I love quiche – and how a huge slice and a nice green salad make the perfect dinner. Oh, how we change :-) This recipe looks as tasty as little Jacob — he is so cute!

Um, is it bad for me to confess that before I read your recipe, I scroll through the post and look for the oh-so-adorable Jacob pics, THEN go back and read? Thanks for another yummy recipe and even yummier photo.

I know exactly what you’re saying. For the first four months of my pregnancy, I couldn’t look at my kitchen. Now, I spend hours slaving and can’t eat full size portions of what I make! At least my husband is well-fed.

They say breastfeeding can make you more hungry. Luckily, breastfeeding moms need more calories than they did when they were pregnant. I will try to be prepared for that, but I fear like you my cravings will start in about 4 months.

I immediately bookmarked this recipe when I saw it included leeks as we have some nice fat juicy ones still in garden. As the threat of frost is growing by the day, I decided I shouldn’t wait any longer to make this recipe. Yum, yum, yum! The crust was perfect and the filling was just perfect. I did substitute bacon for the ham as that is what I had in the freezer. This will definitely be my go-to quiche crust recipe now and I also really like the cream/sour cream filling. I will definitely use it as a base on which to come up with different variations.
And lastly, Jacob is adorable! It’s fun to hear about the transformation you’re undergoing now that you are a mother. It’s just impossible to comprehend your capacity for love until you have a child and I love to watch people experience it. Glad you’re back to cooking also!

Hi Deb – This post made me laugh. Your thoughts on cooking with a newborn are the whole reason I started my blog!! When my daughter was born I was beside myself because people told me I had to start buying frozen skillet meals. NO WAY! I figured out how to make all my favorite foods while my daughter napped here and there during the day. It wasn’t easy at first, but when she got on a more regular schedule I was able to complete more cooking and baking projects. I still do all my cooking and baking during her naptime to this day! So, you are right, you don’t have to compromise quality or taste just because there are kids in the house, like my motto “You don’t have to give up being a foodie just because you have kids, you can still cook wonderful meals without compromising quality or taste.” I mean, c’mon, we all need to eat. And it is possible to do it with a baby attached to your hip. You can imagine the moms at playgroup when I told them this and started handing out recipes and coaching them through making a lasagna at 2pm in the afternoon to have it ready at dinnertime – to this day they are my most dedicated readers. Jacob is a cutie – congrats! Now you are officially a Naptime Chef!

I wonder if I will binging every chance I get for the glutton that I am! I am sure you can still cook and bake with Jacob around! My aunt can carry a little one with one arm and pour hot water for making baby’s milk with the other hand!

Deb, had to add my kudos to the host of others! Jacob is just so awesome – beautifu; you and Alex must be so proud and happy. I remember being just so smug when my daughter was tiny and everyone oohed and awed at her beauty (which has lasted through to her teens!) Lucky you that he likes the swing, mine never did. And enjoy your appetite – the pounds will just fall away as you breast feed. Do you have the twisty uterus-contractions going on? Oh, and keep feeding us – you are awesome. Thanks so much!

I made this quiche last night – my first quiche ever! AND I bought a tart pan for it (well, I have always dreamed of owning one for my baking treats but never went out on the limb to buy one – until now!) The quiche was fabulous! The only difference was that I used Manchego cheese (spain) because I had it – and love it – but it worked great. I have been following your blog and cooking with you consistently for a few months now. I have never posted a comment but I just had to say that your son is too cute for words! he is quite possibly the most adorable baby ever! Love the pics with him and food – eggplant, apples, etc. :)

Ummm… this looks absolutely amazing! I’ll have to try it soon. And, I totally am with you on the wanting to cook post-baby. During one of my four pregnancies, I couldn’t stand Mexican food (and it’s my favorite normally). I gave birth, held that beautiful baby in my arm, and said “I’m SO hungry – I want enchiladas – NOW!” I went home from the hospital and made them the next day.

Your baby is exquisite – enjoy every moment of that newborn-ness. The only new parent advice I have to give is read “Healthy Sleeping Habits Happy Child” by Dr. Weissbluth. It saved my life – our babies were happy, well rested, and so was I!

OMG :D
I come from Lorraine, France, and you will never find leeks, ham, onion or cheese in the genuine quiche Lorraine! that’s a sin!
in the real one you only have bacon, eggs, cream, milk and nutmeg!
Anyway your pie, whatever it is, looks delicious ;)

What a darling baby! I’m glad you were able to pull this together in time for my trip to the grocery store today, where I will reassemble all the right ingredients to have this for dinner. It’s inspired.

I made this last night, and it was delicious! I love the no-prebake crust. Mine took about an hour to bake (in a regular 9-inch glass pie dish) for some reason– no idea why. It was worth the wait, though.

I too sympathize with the post-baby hunger– I spent many nights standing in front of the fridge at odd hours eating huge hunks of cheese with one hand and holding my nursing daughter up with the other.

Ok, I have seen alot of new borns, but he is by far the cutest little boy I have seen in a long while. Enjoy every moment. I made your quiche last night for Bosses Day. I followed the recipe for the crust using the food processor. The crust never came together. Thought my egg was too small so I added another, but still didn’t come together. What did I do wrong? Ended up using Martha’s crust, but the filling was excellent. The leeks and onions were superb.

This recipe came along at the perfect time – I had leftover leeks that I didn’t know what to do with and a pie crust conveniently in the freezer. My quiche is in the oven now, and I can’t wait to taste it :) P.S. Such a cute little bun from your oven!

Slight modifications:
1. Used half turkey half ham, and definitely prefer the taste of turkey. But I am just not a fan of ham in general. The meet is quite salty, so I would add just a tiny bit of salt for the feeling next time and make it all turkey.

2. Spiked the crust with a dash of freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of cayenne.

3. Had to raise oven temperature from 350 to 375 after about 30 minutes. The whole baking time was about 50 minutes. I baked in a metal 9-inch pie pan. The feeling was just barely enough to fill it, by the way.

4. Sprinkled the crust with some bread crumbs before filling it. Result – perfect flaky bottom, not a trace of sogginess. It may be due to the excellence of the crust or to the crumbs, but I’ll add them next time as well, just to be on the safe side. Once the quiche is baked, they are completely integrated into the feeling anyway, and one cannot feel them at all.

one egg worked fine for me. I mixed in the butter using pastry blender, but I finished the dough in my kitchen aid. I find that it mixes this type of dough much better than my hand: more evenly, without overworking, and will less liquid than what would be needed if mixing by hand. It took about 45 seconds to blend in the egg and start forming the dough; after that I just gathered the dough into a ball, chilled it in the fridge for about 15 minutes, and then proceeded according to Deb’s directions.

Have this in the oven now and is the second time I have made it since it was posted.

First time it did take mine about 40 minutes to cook and then the middle was a little loose while the edges were well cooked.

This time, as easy as the crust is, I cheated and used a store bought shell (weeknight, hungry campers downstairs). Wont quite be the same but can’t still cant wait.

Anyone else have the experience of the edges being done but the center not set? Thinking of covering edges (1.5 inches in from the crust) with foil after the first 15-20 minutes of baking if it is heading that way again.

We had this last night-and my husband LOVED IT-even though he usually turns his nose up at the idea of quiche. Not his mom’s “EGG BAKE” but quiche-weird. Anyway, he really liked it, but I thought it was a little rich…Maybe it’s supposed to be! It had a real custard feel. After seven kids, my mom has always said that the swing was the best thing invented. As a kid, I always remember “winding it up” for one of my younger brothers and sisters:) He looks so happy and peaceful! Mazel Tov!

OMG Deb this sounds like it’d be so good. I have passed it along to Chris, and will be dropping lots of hints. :)

The funny thing is, there is a LPQ across the street from my office (we jokingly call it “the Pain”, as in ouch). My colleagues and I go there for lunch about twice a month or so. No sign of this quiche there anywhere, though.

Thanks! It turned out great, even if the new quiche pan I bought was missing the bottom (realized as was about to roll out dough). I used a pie pan instead. And I will return to Sur La Table this week to replace quiche pan. Will definitely make again.

Deb that is my current favourite Jacob picture. He’s such an angel! Not only do I just feel hungry after reading one of your posts, I now get broody too!

I made this quiche over the weekend. I’d never made quiche before, so I was a bit nervous. Let me tell you (and I’m sure you’re not surprised) it turned out beautifully, and so so tasty. The pastry was brilliant and really easy to work with! I’ll be experimenting with different fillings now!

Your baby is beautiful!
I took my mother to Alexandria, Virginia, today to do some Christmas shopping, and we ate lunch at Pain Quotidien there. She had the quiche lorraine, and she absolutely adored it. She’d eaten many times in her life, but she thought this one was really exceptional. I told her I would try to find the recipe on the internet, but wasn’t very hopeful. One click, and thanks to you, she can now make her own fabulous quiche at home! I’ve never been much of a foodie, but just spending about fifteen minutes reading your blog, and I’m really enjoying your topics, but also your gorgeous photography and your writing style. I’m smitten ;-)

I just made this for dinner last night (along with your incredible caesar salad dressing minus the anchovies but with the raw egg) and it was amazing! I loved the flavour of the caramelized leeks and onions and the lack of par-baking on the crust was great.

I did have a couple of issues when I made it and I’m not sure why. When I made the pastry dough it would not come together with just one egg. I tried, I really tried but it wouldn’t form into a ball it was almost totally dry… (and if I can say so, I love making pastry and have never had trouble with it) I was using large eggs (not extra large), maybe that’s why? I ended up beating up a second egg and just using half of it. This brought it together just fine and seemed to have no adverse effects in the final product (it was flaky and not soggy on the bottom).

The other problem I had was with the baking time. I made the quiche in a 9″ pie plate and it seemed to take forever for it to brown on top. I put it in for the 30 minutes initially and kept bumping up the time. I think it was in the oven for closer to 45-50 (maybe even 55-60) and it never really did brown up on the top. It was slightly golden on one side, but not as dark as I would have liked it to be.

The last issue was that when I cut the first slice out there seemed to be a lot of water or moisture in the quiche. The bottom on the pie plate had maybe a quarter or eighth of an inch of liquid in it. Is this because I didn’t let it cool for more than about 3 minutes? Maybe this stems from my large eggs again, but the batter was almost totally white (even when it was cooked up). Is that normal?

Despite my “issues” this recipe is a definite keeper. It tasted amazing and my husband loved it too! Although there was a minor incident in the grocery store when someone else was stealing all the leeks… I literally had to snatch the last two leeks out from under his hands…

Deb-
Do you think I could replace this crust with the great unshrinkable sweet tart shell crust (substituting flour for the powdered sugar)? I’m not much for rolling out dough, and the fact that you can press the other one makes me like it.

Deb,
I have been following your blog for quite some time and have made a number of your smash-hit recipes for my hungry friends. Last night I made this quiche for a work party and the whole thing was demolished within five minutes. It was a raging success!
A preparation note: I actually made the crust the night before so that I could economize some precious time the day of the event. As I have an even tinier kitchen than you do (ugh, mini-fridge), I left the dough in a ball in a tupperware container in the fridge overnight and then just rolled it out with my hands directly into the tart pan the next day! It was perfect! Thank you.

Loved this recipe! I will do a couple things differently next time. I plan on baking it at 375F for 45 minutes. I first took it out baking it at 350F for 35 minutes but found that the quiche had not set fully and was quite watery. I put it back in the oven for 20 minutes at 375F and it came out perfectly. The flavor of this quiche is amazing. The BF loved it so much and he hates ham.

In love with this recipe – so were my friends yesterday! Trying a recipe from your blog always makes my friends and me happy – the brownies always have a lot of success.
Back to the quiche, the crust was amazing and really easy – I added some water at the end since I don’t have added all the flour.
And even if I’m French, I went on your blog to find your version of the quiche lorraine – as expected, I was surprised by the result.
Thank you.

I’ve never commented before, but I’ve been following this site for years now and it’s always the first place I turn when looking for a recipe.

I offered to make brunch for my mom for Mother’s Day today, and I had decided on this Quiche Lorraine. When I mentioned it, my mom requested one with crabmeat instead, so I used this recipe and just subbed the exact same amount of crab for the ham, and it turned out great! I was skeptical of the crust, as I had to add a little water to make it come together properly, but it worked well in the end (and I have notoriously bad luck with pastry crusts). The basic recipe seems to lend itself well to different adaptations.

Oh, Dab. I made this this weekend, along with your spinach quiche. I played with the recipe a little – used some whole wheat flour int he crust (and some cheese – I was running out of butter) and replaced the sour cream with cream cheese, but, my god, this was glorious. I’m at boarding school and it was the first good thing I’d eaten in a really, really long time. I cook a lot but had never before made one of these, and I am so happy to learn how easy and rewarding it is. Love, Ims.

@Jaimie, the crabmeat also sounds fantastic. I’m now wondering about lobster quiche…

Deb,
I have a similar question to one that was answered an entire YEAR earlier, but I’ve always wondered…okay: when do you freeze the quiche if you’re making it ahead of time (before or after baking?), and at what temp should you reheat it?
Novice questions that I’ve always been too afraid to ask!
Thanks!

First quiche I’ve made and very, very pleased. The crust was buttery, flaky and perfect and other than adding slightly less leeks (and slightly more butter and cheese… mmm) than the recipe called for, followed it to a T. It’s delicious, as anything with that much cream is. Swoon. Just finished my piece I brought to work. Thanks for the recipe!

I love the crust. I usually use a heavier, thicker, richer crust. This had great texture and subtle flavor. It is a keeper. For the filling – heavenly. I enjoyed the sour cream batter…. but how could I not.

I couldn’t get the dough to come together. Tried adding some water which made it come together but then when I rolled it out there were so many cracks. I finally gave up and threw the whole thing in the trash. What should i have done differently?

This recipe is just awesome! I’ve just made it yesterday for my boyfriend and I, and he just loved it (and me too =) ). I would just add that I faced the same problem as Julie for the crust. I decided to add water but then it looked – and tasted – more like pizza crust. Anyway I will do it again with my usual pastry recipe. Thank you so much =)

Overall, I love this recipe, Deb – I have made it four times. However, every time I make the crust, I need to add ice water, it just does not come together with one egg for me. Was that left out of the directions? It bakes extremely well, looks beautiful, everyone likes it – the only other question I have is baking time – you suggest 25-30 minutes and each time I have baked it in my oven, it takes between 60-70 minutes. Thanks for sharing this –

EBR — I’ve definitely heard from others that the crust is tricky, and it is indeed a dry one, but I still use it all of the time and never add water. Two things: It’s important to spoon/sweep your flour so your cups aren’t packed, which will lead to there being more flour than I use. Also, I use the FP and just keep running it for a minute. It always starts to ball up. Not sure about the baking time until I test this again…

Hi! Long-time lurker here! Congrats on such lovely blog, I’ve been enjoying your wit and recipes for quite a long time, but never commented -although I always make sure to read the comments, I think there part of what makes this place fabulous.
To the point: I used this recipe as a base to make a leek and salmon quiche, which is in the oven right now. Easiest crust ever, comes together like a dream. Since the problem seemed to be the flour measurements, after having a look at your conversions tab I decided to use 160 gr. flour and 85 gr. butter, measured the cornstarch in tablespoons and used 1 large egg. Did as you said and kept the food processor going until the dough balled. Perfect! Very easy to roll out too. Thanks! :)

Hi–I made this (incredible!) quiche (thanks so much!) with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and it took an hour an a half to cook through instead of just 30 minutes (in a very shallow pie pan). Was the yogurt the problem? Or was it something else??? I’m stumped.

I know he is much older now but that baby is ADORABLE! I plan on making this quiche this weekend to try something I had at lunch this past weekend. I had a wonderful spinach and mushroom quiche (personal sized) that was made with phyllo dough. Have you ever worked with it? I’m worried about burning the edges of the dough while the quiche cooks. Any suggestions would be welcomed!

Hi Deb, I’ve been a reader and fan of yours for almost 2 years and wanted to express how great it is to be able to come to a site that ACTUALLY tests their recipes and that I can depend on!!! I have been testing 3-4 quiche recipes for a client and thought to check one of yours and did this one. You are always on point with instructions and your extra tips got me to produce my SECOND ever quiche PERFECTLY. The first time, I ignored your instructions about baking till “puffed and GOLDEN” and let it bake till a deep golden brown because I thought that’s what it ought to look like. NOT! It was way overcooked. The 2nd time I trusted your instructions completely and produced a perfect, cooked-through quiche that was still silky and creamy. You are the best!!!!

Agh, I love your recipes, Deb. I’ve only recently discovered Smitten kitchen, but I’m already on recipe # three in two week. It’s terrible. (Or not.) This recipe has been slated for my saturday afternoon project and I was wondering — Would I be able to replace the ham with slab bacon? I’d obviously have to prepare it separately before adding, but the different fat content and saltiness made me a bit hesitant. I’d really like to try it, but I figured a second opinion would make me feel better. Thanks :)

In the real quiche lorraine, there’s no leeks, don’t say french people are rude, i’m just correcting ! Btw with the leek you could try “fondue de poirreaux” it would be translate melted/fondant leeks. It’s absolutly awesome. I will post the recipe on my blog very soon.

Deb – I’ve tried making this quiche crust on more than one occasion, but mine always falls apart! I end up pressing pieces of it into the pie plate until it all comes together. Any idea what’s going wrong here? Either way, I’m looking forward to cooking this up tonight, and love every recipe (of many!) I’ve tried from your site. :)

I must say this is the first recipe of yours that I have made where I found a couple of mistakes. After I fixed them we had a glorious Easter quiche. I scanned the 360 comments and did not find any tweaks to the recipe.

And please don’t get me wrong, I love everything you make and consider SK to be a food bible…

First- the reason why the crust falls apart is that it needs two eggs not one. I made the crust in my stand mixer and noticed how dry it was, barley held together. So I added another egg and it came together beautifully.

Second- I used a souffle dish so perhaps the cooking time and portions are a tad off, however it was also 8″ deep and similar in size to the quiche pan you used. I put everything together and when I poured the egg mixture on top I had 3 more inches to fill. So I halved the egg mixture and poured in a second round, this time filling to just about and inch from the top.

Third- The layers don’t work. Even with the rest time the moisture makes the bottom fall apart. Next time I would mix the ham and leeks with the egg batter, pour in half, spread a later of cheese then the rest of the batter. Maybe i just had super watery leeks.

In the end it was delicious and this was just my experience with this recipe. I’m sure that there are loads of variables here (pans, ovens etc).
In no way am I dissing this amazing dish.

Like Meaghan, I consider SK to be a food bible. Rather than add an extra egg to the pastry, I added water, teaspoon by teaspoon, until it pulled together into a shaggy dough that I could work with. Looking at your photos (which I should have paid more attention to before attempting this recipe), the leeks and onions aren’t actually caramelized but softened. I took your suggestion to add more oil, but the delicate leeks wound up turning into weird little papery squares. Fortunately I picked up a couple of extra leeks and was able to attempt the “caramelization” again. I didn’t caramelize them so much as allow them to slowly soften. Those two (tiny) complaints aside, the quiche was lovely. The flavor was spot-on, and the pastry was flaky and delicate.

Hey, your reciepe seems to be awesome but please change the name… it´s definitely not a “quiche Lorraine”.. ;) (wrong ingredients, for example you don’t have leek or ham etc.. inside..). And of course I’m French and from Lorraine!
I love your website, good continuation :)

great recipe! i just made 3 of these for a bridal shower and they turned out great!

i used store bought pie crust (cause i just didn’t feel like making 3 scratch) and par baked them for about 23 minutes at 350. since i tripled the recipe, i used a little bit less sourcream and cream bc the batter was getting to be a bit too thick and creamy (if such a thing is possible). baked them at 350 for about 45 minutes before they were set, and will freeze and then reheat them in the oven again.

Hello Deb! Long time reader and enjoyer of your recipes but first time poster. :) Do i have to adjust the recipe in terms of its quantity if I’m using frozen pie shells? In a standard 9″ shell would all the filling, as it is laid out in the recipe, fit inside it?

I don’t think you’d have trouble fitting this filling in a 9-inch pie shell; I think it should fit just fine. Of course, if it gets more than 1/2-inch from the top, can’t hurt to pour some filling out into a ramekin to bake off, to be safe.

Hi Deb! First time poster from blustery Chicago. Prepped this last night and popped it in the oven for breakfast with some girlfriends today. Didn’t have any swiss cheese or ham, so cooked up some applewood smoked bacon and shredded some cheddar. It was very yummy. Thank you!

I made this for brunch today and it was fantastic. I used a batch of white cheddar pie crust that I had in the freezer and it was really tasty. Next time, i would specifically make the crust with grated swiss as I think the cheddar over powered the lovely swiss and nutmeg combo. Everything I have made from your cookbook and blog has been fantastic. Thank you!

I made this over the weekend and it was fantastic. I had the same issue with the crust that others indicated, it did not come together with only one egg and mixing by hand. It only took a few tablespoons of ice water to form a dough. The dough was delicious and crisp without par baking, which is such a nice step to skip. To fill a 9 inch pie plate, I needed an extra egg and few extra tablespoons of cream, but that is just that our tastes are for more quiche!!! Thanks so much Deb!

Love this recipe and am a big fan. I made this years ago and have now become famous for “my quiche”! i made it exactly like the recipe the first time and have never changed a thing. What’s with all the people using ore made crust? It’s so easy and delicious to make your own. I made mine last night and am about to make the quiche for a lunch today. I will continue to be famous for it – I always give you credit and tell people to check your website. I am a big fan! Good luck with the new baby. One is like one and two is like 20!!!!!

Great recipe (once again)! I prepped everything the night before and placed each ingredient in separate containers (even combined the batter). I rolled out the dough, placed it in the pie dish, and wrapped it tightly in plastic wrap. In the morning I combined all ingredients and baked accordingly. Crust turned out perfect as well as the quiche.

I made 2 yesterday, one for diner and one to bring to lunch for a potluck. It was an absolute hit. The texture is so creamy and there’s so much flavor! I made it with 2% greek plain yogurt as i had it on hand instead of sour cream and it was absolutely delicious. A bit rich to have it often but ill try it again with milk instead of cream. It is my new quiche base recipe for sure.

Me again. I have the same question as the first. Can I make this dough (and the Pâte Brisée for your spinach quiche) freeze it for 2-3 weeks. Then unfreeze in the refrigerator the day before its being used?

We have what seems like 90 lbs. of leftover ham, so I decided to make your quiche lorraine and use some of it up. Husband said, Well, if you’re making one, why not make two? So I doubled the recipe and DEB, IT’S SO GOOD and now we have one in the freezer for later. But I was surprised at the fact that the cooking time doubled, too. Literally, they were in my 350-degree oven for 60 minutes before they were bubbling and brown, and I have a thermometer in there so I know the temp is right — but they came out perfect. Thank you so much for this recipe! Happy New Year!

P.S. You said the eggs should be “divided” but nowhere in the recipe does it say to use just the white or the yolk. So I tossed whole eggs in where it was indicated and it was all good, but maybe the recipe needs an edit?

Hi! I made this my go-to basic quiche recipe to twist depending on what’s in the fridge. It always turns out fantastic. I’ve got into the habit of doubling the recipe and freezing the leftovers, but I keep getting a soggy crust when defrosting. Any tips? Thanks!

I made this many times now and it’s always a hit! I never have sour cream in the fridge but I always keep Greek plain yogurt so the first time it’s what I used and I really liked the taste! I never ended up trying it with the sour cream since the yogurt seems to work well. I switch up the ham and leeks with whatever I have in the fridge but the base of eggs, heavy cream and yogurt always stay the same. It has a very creamy and tangy taste, it really taste like those tall and rich quiche you get in fancy coffee shop.
It might be the yogurt but I always have to leave it in the oven for about 45 min other the middle doesn’t set.
It’s now in my regular rotation, it’s a great hit at brunch time !

Terribly frustrated. This is the second recipe with one a week that the cooking times have had to be doubled. The recipes are great but cmon. Update with a realistic bake time for this and the Tres Leches Cske.

Due to a shortage of sour cream in my fridge, I must confess to using 3.25% plain yoghurt. Which may have caused my issue. Did anyone else have a fairly soggy bottom with a good 1/4 inch of liquid at the bottom of the quiche? Why did this happen? Despite the sogginess, my kids are currently devouring the quiche.

One reader said his recipe is forgiving–yes, a thousand times yes! I used 5 garlic cloves instead of the leeks and onions, 1 cup cream + 1 tsp sherry vinegar instead of the cream + sour cream, 5 slices cooked bacon instead of ham, jack cheese instead of gruyere, and 5 eggs instead of 3 to make up for the lower volume of cream. And then I used months old frozen pie crust. This is the first time I’ve made quiche, and it’s brilliant. Sure, it’s a different recipe than the original–let’s call what I made garlic bacon jack quiche–and I still love it. Will gather the ingredients for the original sometime for sure.

I made this as written and other than needing an additional 10 minutes in the oven, it was perfect. I even forgot to add the cheese (which may explain why it needed longer to cook) and was still delicious. I was really nervous about not parbaking the crust and even ordered the 8″ quiche pan so it would look like yours. Both guests asked for the recipe and I was happy to direct them to your website. Will definitely make again.

First, I want to say the SK is my absolute favorite place for recipes, commentary, and reader comments. I make something from here at least once a week, never with anything but great results. With that as a caveat, my quiche is in the oven, and I’m sure it will be tasty. However, making the crust was a disaster for me. I did it once and tried to roll it out. It was really soft, so I thought I should refrigerate it, which I did for awhile. The second time I tried to roll it, it all fell apart, so I decided to throw it away and start all over. Second attempt- the dough rolled better, but there was no way I could pick it up to move it to the pie pan. I tried everything- the rolling pin method, everything. No luck. I ended up picking up pieces as intact as possible then pressing them together in the pan. I’m sure it will all taste good in the end, but the crust endeavor was so disappointing! Am I the only one who had this problem? I’d love to know your tricks for rolling out and then getting the dough in the pan in a single piece!

Please help if you can. I went ahead and made the crust for this recipe, however it came out dry and of course, does not look nice. I followed the recipe but seemed to still be too dry, the crust did not want to stick together and then as I rolled it, it came apart in giant flakes and the ends all broke off. It seems that whenever I make some version of pie crust, it always comes out like this and looks ugly. Could you please give us some advise either here or on a separate post of how to always come out with the best crust? I try and fix it and well, it’s fixed but again, not ideal and not easy. Thank you so much!

I’m sorry it gave you trouble. It’s totally fine to add another spoonful of water if yours isn’t coming together, humidity varies in different seasons and places, and to press the dough in instead of rolling it. The good news is that nobody ever really “sees” the crust in a quiche. I hope it was still a hit.

Your site would have been my mother’s dream come true. Thanks for the extra facts and attention to detail. Keep it up! I don’t know how long ago this post was made but Jacob was a beautiful newborn. I am sure you treasure your time with your children. I am glad I found your sight.

Doris, I use plain whole milk Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and it works beautifully. I feel like with it being Greek yogurt, it’s much more the consistency of sour cream than a regular yogurt consistency.

The flavor of this quiche is outstanding. Ours took a lot longer (closer to 50 minutes at 350 in a normal 9″ pie plate) and had an extremely soggy bottom, which was a bit of a bummer. In the quiche’s defense, I thought I had cream in the fridge but only had half-and-half, so I can hardly blame it for rebelling. Definitely worth making again and actually following directions this time!

This is my go to quiche recipe and I feel like I make it every couple of months. It’s pretty much amazing. :-)
My first go round I also had to add a bit of water to the crust(I make it in the processor and now just add every time) I cook mine longer as well. It’s a great crust!